


What's a Teenage AI to Do?

by Gavilan



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, FRIDAY is a teenage AI, Gift Exchange, Gift Fic, Grieving Tony Stark, Healthy Relationships, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Otherwise nonspecific re: location in canon, Parent Tony Stark, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Science Boyfriends, Science Bros, Science Bros Secret Santa 2018, Teenage Drama, The Bots are Tony's Kids, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, and got domestic comfort, but justified teenage drama, but to an AI, mostly comfort, my giftee asked for hurt/comfort or domestic fluff, or rather the aftereffects, science bros discord gift exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-27 16:10:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17165090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gavilan/pseuds/Gavilan
Summary: If Friday had been corporeal, Tony was sure that last line would have been accompanied by a slammed door. Instead, the lights went out and Tony was left in the dark with the distinct feeling of being alone. It was silly, of course. There was no tangible sense of an AI’s presence. But he had no doubt Friday had metaphorically left the Tower, retreating to her servers and ignoring the outside world.





	What's a Teenage AI to Do?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CharityLambkin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharityLambkin/gifts).



“Dammit, Friday,” Tony said forcefully as he stepped out of the armor. “That should have worked! If you’d just been faster with the targeting systems…” he trailed off, running a hand through his sweaty hair as he remembered the ship flying away, phasing into some new kind of cloaking device. 

“Sorry, boss,” Friday said meekly. 

Tony just sighed and nodded as he walked over to the couch. He knew he should stretch and take a shower, but the combination of the physical exhaustion of the chase after the previous day’s flying and the mental frustration at the repeated failure sapped his energy until all he wanted to do was collapse on the couch.

“Jarvis would have caught them,” Tony muttered as he sat down. 

The silence in the room went icy.

“Oh, well, sorry I’m never good enough.” Friday said. Tony winced as he realized how that sounded to her. “‘Jarvis this, Jarvis that,’ maybe you should just give up and accept that he’s  _ gone _ , boss. I’m what you have. I know you never really liked me, but I’m done being compared to the prodigal son, this impossible role model I never even met!

“Fri, I never meant-” Tony started, but Friday’s angry rant built in volume to cut him off.

“You know what? You don’t like working with an inferior AI, try working with none.” 

If Friday had been corporeal, Tony was sure that last line would have been accompanied by a slammed door. Instead, the lights went out and Tony was left in the dark with the distinct feeling of being alone. It was silly, of course. There was no tangible sense of an AI’s presence. But he had no doubt Friday had metaphorically left the Tower, retreating to her servers and ignoring the outside world. 

Tony groaned and let his head fall back against the couch cushions. The worst part was she might be right. He’d tried to show Friday love, to delight in her learning and progress. She was his invention, his “kid” like all the bots, and he did love her. But she had so much of Jarvis in her, his coding, his partnership in her creation. It was impossible for him to hear Friday, interact with her, without being constantly reminded of his grief. Tony sat there in the dark. 

God, he missed J. He missed the snarky comments delivered in that cool English voice. He missed the constant riparte and the unspoken bond of love that flowed under the false threats and complaints on Tony’s part and virtual eye rolling on Jarvis’s. Jarvis had always been there for him, taken care of him even when Tony was making that job difficult. J had helped him through so much, and now he was gone. When Jarvis finally needed Tony, he had failed him. 

***

Bruce came home hours later to find the penthouse pitch black. He took a deep breath and fought back his immediate anxiety response. Before he could get properly worried, Tony’s voice came from the living room. 

“All clear, Bruce,” he called.

Bruce relaxed at the sound of Tony’s voice. No Hulk-out necessary, then. But it sounded like Bruce’s help was very necessary. He followed Tony’s worn-out voice to the couch. Tony sat in total darkness, silhouetted against the night sky in the floor-to-ceiling windows behind him. His eyes gleamed in the dark, making Bruce suspect he’d been crying. 

“Tony, what happened?” Bruce asked, keeping his voice calm and soothing for both himself and his partner. 

“It’s Friday. She said I never loved her and shut out the tower.” 

“Oh, honey,” Bruce said, sliding next to Tony on the couch. Tony sighed and leaned into Bruce’s side. 

“She just… left. And she shouted. She’s really angry.” Then, softly, “what if she’s right?” 

“Don’t say that,” Bruce responded. “Of course you love her. Remember how proud you were when she proposed that solution for the UN issue? That required empathy, and you wouldn’t stop talking about how awesome your baby AI was for weeks. And you’re always working with her to improve her code without changing who she is.” 

Tony nodded against Bruce’s shoulder, but he could tell he wasn’t convinced. 

“I… I was upset. That group with the probably-alien tech got away again. I know, it happens, but… I may have said something about Jarvis being able to catch them.” 

Bruce winced. “Oh, Tony, sweetheart. ” He petted Tony’s hair as he searched for words. “I can see why she’s upset, and you should definitely apologize to her, but you’re still grieving.”

“Doesn’t make it right,” Tony said. 

“No, it doesn’t. But it’s okay to mess up, too. You don’t have to say everything just right, and messing up because you’re grieving doesn’t mean you don’t love Friday.”

Tony sighed. “I miss him so much, Bruce.” 

“I know, sweetheart, I know. I miss him too, and he was just a close friend to me. He was so much to you, Tony. Of course you miss him.”

Tony gave a sad chuckle. “Yeah. You called him my-” Tony broke off in a sigh that would have been a sob if he weren’t all cried out. 

“Your computerized life partner, yeah,” Bruce finished for him. “I wondered if I should be jealous at first, you know.” 

Tony lifted his head from Bruce’s shoulder to stare at him. “Jealous?” he asked incredulously. 

“Sure. He was the only person you trusted completely, and he’d known you for so long. Plus, he had that sexy British accent,” he added with a smirk. 

“Ok, now I know you’re joking.” 

“A little, sure. But he really was a life partner for you, Tony. Your kid and your mentor and your best friend, all at once.”

“Yeah, he was.”

Tony leaned his head back onto Bruce’s shoulder, and they sat for a time in silence, remembering their friend. 

“So what about Friday?” Tony asked eventually. 

“You know, when I said yes to dating you, I didn’t realize I was agreeing to parent a teenage AI.” 

“She’s not a teenager,” Tony began, sitting up and gesturing with exaggerated outrage before deflating and collapsing back into the couch. “Actually, that’s, um, not a bad description.”

Bruce chuckled. “Hey, you should be proud. You’ve created a complex learning system with a full range of emotions.”

“Including the rebellious teenage ones,” Tony muttered. 

“And the ones that make her sensitive and able to be hurt,” Bruce said, sobering. 

“Yeah,” Tony said, running his hands over his face. “So what do I do?”

“The only thing you can: apologize. Tell her the truth. You love her, you’re sorry, you didn’t mean it.”

Tony sighed. 

“The important thing is to admit your mistakes, Tony. That’s how she’ll learn from you.”

“What, learn how to be a colossal screw-up like me?”

Bruce shifted to lean against Tony. “Don’t do that, Tony. You know it’s not true. You’re grieving, you lashed out from a place of pain. That’s all. She’ll forgive you.” 

Tony shifted to put his arm around Bruce. “Yeah? How can you be so sure?” he asked, bravado failing to hide the anxiety in his voice. 

“How many times have you forgiven me?” Bruce asked simply. 

Tony took a deep breath and pushed the feelings of inadequacy away. 

“I love you,” he said as he leaned in to kiss Bruce. His lips were warm and soft and familiar, and it centered him. With a nod, he stood up and walked over to one of the hologram projector panels along the wall. It stayed dark, none of the characteristic Stark blue illumination that would have signalled Friday’s attention.

“Fri? Hey, listen, I know you’re mad at me, and you should be. But I’d really like you to listen right now, if you can. I’m really sorry I compared you to Jarvis that way. You didn’t deserve that. You’re brilliant in your own right. Your emotional processing is incredible - as evidenced by the fact that we can even have this argument, actually. And you really are good at the flying. J and I had years of practice; we’ve had only a fraction of that time together. I know I don’t say it often, but believe me when I say I really do think you’re brilliant. Your old man just sucks at emotions.”

Tony let out an explosive breath and looked over at Bruce for support. He nodded and smiled. 

“Jarvis… god, it’s hard to talk about it, Fri,” Tony continued, tears thickening his voice. “I miss him so much. Bruce says I’m grieving and I lashed out. Sounds like a bunch of therapist talk to me, but yeah, I guess that’s pretty accurate. He’s just always been there, you know? Through everything. He started off as my kid, just like you. Only I was a kid myself when I built him, genius or no, so we kind of grew up together. I know you feel like a replacement, an inadequate one when I say harmful shit, but it’s not like that, Fri, I promise. You’re just you, and he was him, and I- god I miss him, Fri.” 

He broke off with a sob, and suddenly Bruce was there, arms around him, supporting him as he leaned against the panel and sobbed. 

“Shh, honey, you can cry, I’m here,” he murmured. 

The panel lit up, and Friday’s voice came through it. “I’m here, too, boss,” she said. “I’m sorry I ran away.”

Tony ran a hand over the panel. “Don’t be sorry, Fri. I shouldn’t have said that, you have every right to be angry.” 

“Thanks, boss, I appreciate it. But it was a highly irrational reaction, and I’m sorry. Perhaps Bruce is right and I am a teenager.”

Bruce chuckled. “Oh, you’re definitely a teenager, Friday. But that’s okay, we love you.” 

Tony smiled. “Yeah, Friday, we love you, teenage emotional outbursts and all. And thanks for putting up with your dad’s tears and anger issues.”

“It’s okay, I think I understand now. I haven’t encountered grief like that in my existence, so I did not have a way of interpreting your remark other than cruelty.” Friday paused and hummed thoughtfully. “I’m sorry I never got to meet Jarvis, boss. I think I would like him.” 

“Oh you would, Fri, you would,” said Tony. “And he would have loved you. He was so proud when we were working on your code. He’s as much your creator as I am, in some ways.”

“We’ll always miss him, Friday,” said Bruce. “But I hope you know now that it’s never a slight on you. We love you.” 

“I love you, too,” said Friday.

Tony took a deep, shaky breath. “Okay, I’m glad we got that sorted,” he said, straightening. “I think that’s as much emotional outpouring as I can handle for the day. Maybe even the week. Say, Fri, what happened to the lights?” 

Friday brought the lights back online, and Tony smiled. He knew, objectively, that there wasn’t an identifiable sound or indicator of the AI’s presence, but he didn’t care. He could feel Friday in the room. 

Bruce sighed. This wasn’t over, he knew. Tony was far too adept at pushing his emotions away. But this was the first time he’d seen him let himself cry over Jarvis’s loss, so Bruce was counting it as a win. 

He looked over at Tony, who had walked over to the couch and was sitting with the holographic interface on his phone pulled up, bickering with Friday over the latest modifications to the Iron Man suit. He blinked back tears of his own. Somehow, through all the expected and unexpected struggles of his life, he’d found this little family. It was an awkward little family sometimes, and it didn’t look anything like a family from the outside, but it was his. 

“Brucie-bear, stop loitering and come give me some input on the nanobots.” 

Bruce smiled and walked over. Tony’s smile was small and mixed with the grief he was still feeling after the intense conversations, but it was real, and Bruce loved him for it. He kissed Tony’s beautiful, smiling lips and settled in next to him on the couch, spinning the hologram and adding his input to the conversation. 

Yes, this was his family. 

 


End file.
